The MoFi Mess and TAS rolling over for them

FWIW, why might you think that Sterophile and Absolute Sound practically give away subscriptions. Subscriptions don't pay for these magazines - mostly all they do is support the readership numbers the rags need to keep advertisers on the hook. They serve the manufacturers not the public. They have lacked any credibility for years (if they ever had that much to begin with). A few 'honest' reviewers have published therein but, IMHO, not often in The Absolute Sound, at least in post Pearson days. On-line reviewers can be just as crass and often they are - their names would be obvious to anyone paying attention. 

Reminds me of the old saying about Time/Look magazines. Look is for those who can't read, Time is for those who can't think. Stereophile and The Absolute Sound would succeed as a composite of both.  

At least Stereophile does measurements and usually compares a review product to something comparable.  TAS?  Nuthin’.  Hell, many times they don’t even bother listing the gear in the reviewer’s reference system.  What???  Pure advertising and utter garbage and totally worthless “reviews” IMO. 

Yeah Valin is just another low life human being. No morals or ethics. Remember the "loaner" cables he tried selling! I've stopped reading TAS many years ago.

Facts known by most, not all.

1. Mobile Fidelity owns & distributes a number of audio brands: https://mofidistribution.com/our-brands/

2. Mobile Fidelity is owned by Music Direct, who distributes and deals a whole lot more audio brands:
https://www.musicdirect.com/brands/

I encourage people to flip through TAS and see what the percentage of ads come from one of the brands that are listed in the two links above and come to your conclusions on whether there is any true separation between church and state in the support for the brands covered in editorial vs the advertising.

So, we owe Mofi a debt of gratitude for keeping vinyl alive?  No, Mofi owes me/we audiophiles who buy their way overpriced reissues.  I won't be buying any more.  How many different copies do we need of Santana Abraxas or PF DSOTM?  Lie to me once, shame on you, lie to me twice, shame on me.